Kallas: Russia should not be allowed to divide US, Europe

Speaking live on the Europe Today show on Wednesday, Kallas said there were no “no disputes” between Brussels and the Trump administration and urged both sides to remain united in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Kallas also said the current talks are “ship diplomacy” and that Europe will have a seat on the table when formal negotiations begin for a peace solution, broadcast Periscope.

This is ship diplomacy now. There is still no negotiating table. But we are trying to get a view of the position of the parties,” she said, one day after talks between the American and Russian presidents, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, in which they both agreed to a temporary 30-day fighting stop in energy infrastructure.

Asked about the response to the call between Putin and Trump, Kallas said it was good to see how these things are being revealed.

” Trump was clearly not discussed with Ukraine. Putin said it was discussed. I'd rather trust Trump to this than President Putin,” explained Kallas.

According to media reports, Putin has demanded that the West suspend sending military aid to Ukraine as a precondition for a 30-day limited ceasefire. Trump later stated in an interview with Fox News that military assistance “was not discussed”.

Trump also hailed the talks as <x0-producing”, though the limited ceasefire agreed on did not include the disruption of land, sea and air fighting, which the American president had defended.

Kallas has previously submitted a proposal to offer 40 billion euros in new military support to Ukraine, which, if approved, could increase shipments of artillery ammunition, air defence systems, rockets, drones and fighter aircraft.

In the draft proposal, recently seen by Euronews, the participating “states will be included with their promises, meaning that unanimous approval by all 27 EU member states will not be required.

The proposal is also open to countries with the same opinion outside the EU, such as the United Kingdom and Norway, suggesting a movement towards a “will coalition”.

The initiative will be the subject of debate when EU leaders gather in Brussels for a summit Thursday. Questions remain whether 18 billion euros in unexpected profits seized by frozen Russian assets in the EU will be part of this plan's package.

The stronger we are, the less likely there is war. We must do more for our own protection. We need to do more for Ukraine, so the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are at the negotiating table”, Kallas said.